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WoW is more than it's cracked up to be

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 626 / 714
Date: September 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I just spent the last week playing the World of Warcraft Stress Test Beta, and I can tell you that it was better than I expected. Even though the game wasn't finished, it still has many features that make it head and shoulders above every other MMORPG I've played.
Now, I, like many others, have been waiting in ancicipation for this game to come out, and when I had the chance to play the stress test, I was elated. Considering the majority of my MMOG experience is in EverQuest, I will list a few of the improvements (at least what I see as improvements) over the MMORPG "norm."

1) Experience from completing quests is noticable, and the rewards from completing them are worthwhile. I was always frustrated with EverQuest's quest structure, and the only reason to do a quest was for the item quested for, not for the experience gain. In WoW, it is possible to gain more experience from completing a quest than from killing a monster.

2) Experience progress is anything but vague. Every time a character kills a monster or completes a quest, the experience points are clearly given, and a meter with the character's progress within a level is clearly marked with numbers. So it's impossible not to tell how much experience killing a monster was worth. No more questionable meters with random values.

3) The world is easy to get around in. And it doesn't take an hour to get where you need to be, if you know where you're going. This was one of my biggest problems with EverQuest, because, as a semi-casual player, sometimes I don't have the time to run for an hour to complete a quest, or, in some cases, die, then have to make a corpse run and take twice as long as it originally was supposed to take. Which leads me to my next point.

4) Death is reasonable. If your character dies, its ghost spawns at the NEAREST graveyard, so there is no need to manually bind your character somewhere. Also, there is no XP loss if you choose to run your character over to its corpse. In my opinion, the death system is one of the best, as you can choose to lose XP by ressurecting right at the graveyard, or just run to your character's corpse and revive there with no experience loss. And before you can ressurect your character in a graveyard, it will let you know exactly how much XP will be lost. This replaces the 3 hours of grinding time needed to replace the lost XP.

5) An XP grind is perfectly possible, but not necessary. It is very possible to level up consistently without having to play for 5-7 hours a day. Between XP from killing monsters and the great quest completion XP, I was able to level a character to 17 in 3 days of semi-casual play. Now granted, those were the first 17 and the easiest, but it's also possible to gain a level a day, almost unheard of in EverQuest.

To make a long story short, this will be a great game, but there is still a lot of work needed to make it release-ready. Since there is no official word yet on its release, I wouldn't hold my breath, but it's certainly something to keep an eye on.

-Bullroar

Awesome Game, Even For Older Players

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 502 / 575
Date: September 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is, quite simply, the best Fantasy MMORPG I have ever encountered. Having played during the entire 11 day Stress Test, I can honestly say it will probably be around even longer than EverQuest. This work of art has all the magic of EQ, without the many frustrations that finally caused me to give up on EQ (such as extreme grind, a very punitive death penalty, and being forced to group at high levels).

The graphics in WoW are awesome. Some people complain about the "cartoonish" colors, etc. I find these graphics to be very pleasing to the eye, and extremely well detailed and arranged. Guess this just shows that it isn't possible to please everyone, particularly those who go out of their way to find a flaw in other people's creations. To me, it is just right.

I won't elaborate on the basics of the game, such as the 8 races and 9 classes. Others have already covered them. Rather, I will focus on some other areas that are important to older players (I will soon be 60 years old, and no longer have the lightning-fast hand to eye coordination and sharp vision I once enjoyed).

There appeared to be no need for extremely quick reflexes in this game, but instead a player needs to use strategy and planning to avoid getting in over one's head. The wonderful hotkey bar across the entire bottom of the screen was very helpful and well thought out. Kudos to Blizzard for making such a great interface. The screen is not all cluttered up like it is in most games.

The game runs on a 24-hour clock, so it is dark nearly half the time. Blizzard wisely chose to not make the game black as night in most locations. It is possible to play effectively in caves and other usually extremely dark areas, without benefit of an external light. I thought this was a very wise decision and really enjoyed playing in those locations for the first time ever in an MMORPG. Some players complain that it is too bright. I would say to them: Turn down your Gamma control in the game if you like. Many of us do not have your young night-vision, and we are paying customers too. I think that Blizzard got this part just right.

The quest system in this game is better than I have ever seen. I actually liked doing quests, something I haven't previously enjoyed. Also, quests give lots of experience, and since they can usually be done on a casual basis, they don't require the same level of one-track focus that they do in other games I have played.

During this "way too short" Stress Test, I decided to try a variety of different characters and locations, so played the following characters: Night Elf Druid, lvl 12; Tauren Hunter, lvl 13; Human Mage, lvl 8; Human Warlock, lvl 6; Gnome Warlock, lvl 6; Troll Shaman, lvl 6. Unfortunately, I have a full-time job and could only devote about 40 hours a week to the game. The initial leveling rate is quite quick, with it slowing down a lot at about level 12. Just about right, IMO.

The game is bug-free, for the most part. It is way more bug-free than SWG is even today. I would be willing to pay a subscription now, if it would "get me my game back!". There are only two problems I see with this game:

1. Even though the Stress Test ended at 6pm Sunday evening, three days later I am still going through withdrawal and still have no desire to play on my two City of Heroes and three SWG accounts.

2. World of Warcraft is still not out, so my pre-ordered copy hasn't arrived, nor do I know when that will happen. The sooner, the better, IMO. There is no doubt in my mind that this game will be way more popular that EQ2, which I also plan to try. Hopefully WoW will arrive first.

I for one really appreciate these Reviews that Amazon has. I find them very helpful. The only problem I see with them is that there are only FIVE stars in the rating system. This is a shame, for World of Warcraft certainly deserves a TEN.

Collectors Edition rules.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 96 / 115
Date: October 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Until somebody writes the official specs for the Amazon ad, here's what they have on the WoW website that comes with the collectors edition.

# The full game on both CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
# 1-month subscription to World of Warcraft
# The Art of World of Warcraft, 200+ page hardcover art book
# World of Warcraft Behind-the-Scenes DVD
# Exclusive in-game pet
# Official soundtrack
# Cloth map charting the continents of Kalimdor, Azeroth, Khaz Modan, and Lordaeron
# Signed Collector's Edition game manual
# 10-Day Free Guest Pass - invite one of your friends to join the epic quest

The list is amazing all the extra stuff you get. A 200 page hard cover book, and the sound track easily are worth the extra $30. But they go on with 2 versions of the game in both CD's and DVDs. Plus, the ability to give a friend a trial version and the DVD of behind the scenes. If they are still available, I recommend buying this version over the regular if you really love the Warcraft series. It may be a risk to wait and see when the actual release date is, but they are nearing Open Beta, and my only guess is before Christmas.

Surprisingly good game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 82 / 91
Date: September 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've played by subscription or beta tested ten MMO's now, and I was very shocked to find that World of Warcraft blew them all out of the water. I seriously only checked the game out at first because a friend of mine was going to play, but the more I read into it, I was hooked (so much so, that I now work of the Stratics staff for this game!). I was lucky enough to get into the stress test, and I do not believe I am exagerating when I say that every other MMO out there is going to have a serious run for its money.

Even in Beta, this is the single most stable, lag-free game I have ever played, and I am on a three-year old gaming system. I did find the learning curve a little steep for first timers, but I think that will be rectified with a manual. The questing system is so far beyond any other game, it is truely in a class by itself. Grouping is optional, and does need some work (its actually harder to get XP in a group than soloing) but the implementation of all group members receiving quest items practically eliminates the need to camp an area to get your quest drop, if everyone in the area is smart enough to group up, that is! And as items only drop if you have the quest, there's no people hanging around just to make money.

The PvP system is INCREDIBLE, and this is coming from someone who completely avoids PvP unless there is a true point to it. WoW has implemented a full ranking system with real rewards, such as special mounts, titles, weapons, even elite barracks for high-ranking PvPers. There's even a useful honor system, where you are punished in rank for killing people below your level, or non-violent NPC's. You're a jerk? No goodies for you!

This one will be very worth checking out. A word of warning, the newbie zones get very crowded when a new phase starts and its easy to give up at first based on that. If you are planning on checking this game out in open Beta, wait two days, THEN log in if you think this will be an issue. You will get a much truer population level to play with at that point.

The Holy Grail? maybe...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 52 / 65
Date: October 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is probably the closest thing you are going to find to the holy grail of mmogs. It is the Half Life 2 of MMORPGS (I repeat OF mmorpgs, nothing comes close to Half Life 2 in its own arena). If WoW has one fault it may be its player vs player and player vs enviorment balancing issues, but no mmorpg is going to come close to what this game already has in those terms.

So what does WoW offer you? Lets see...

Exp is maily quest based and if you can't spend as much time in game as your friends, resting in an inn gives you an exp bonus when you log back in so that you can keep up. (translation: you dont have to be hard core to have a nice high lvl character, but the system doesnt hold back hard core players from reaching their highest potential).
Items degrade/repair like diablo 2, anoying but you dont have to replace them and it keeps the economy from inflating.
You can warp to your bind point once an hour with an item, useful if you get lost, need to log out, inventory is full, etc.
Ingame maps.
Auction houses.
Warlocks can summon you to them selfs (with two helping players, great if you are in a rush)
Boats, trains, blimps, gryphons, etc rides to get you around the world.
Death system is not harsh most of the time (three choices: player rez, npc rez at graveyard at a cost of exp, or you can run back to corps in spirit form and self rez)
You have your own mount ( be it horse, gnome machine, wolf, cat, etc).
Food and drink (health/mana regen items)to bring down time to a minimal.
A USEFUL crafting system. (no making lots of junk you cant sell or use for crafting points)
Ritual spells involving lots of players.
PvP and PvE servers.
PvP honer system (gives you penalties for ganking low lvl players).
A PvP reward system.
One of the very few MMORPGs that has blood effects and alcohol (taverns) in it (finaly something that doesnt completely look like its scared senceless to get something higher then a E (everyone) rating).
Content that can only be compaired to the likes of games like Never Winter Nights and Elderscrolls story wise. (even though that hardly does it justice) Not to mention Warcraft's famous comedy.
A completely hand generated world (all the models fit together, everything blends into one complete world, that looks realistic in a Warcraft way)

And one last thing BUFF BOTS DONT WORK IN THIS GAME!!!! <CHEERS> Most characters can only put one type buff on the entire group at one time, one group buff and one single buff (on another person, not inclueding self buffs) at most, so to get a complete set of buffs you need a compete group. Also most buffs last any where from half an hour to an hour, so no rebuffing every 10 minutes, this inclueds buffs you get from potions.

Other things to compair it to? Uh, got me, I honestly dont think there is anything that compairs, if you dont like the art style of WoW you are just going to have to sit it out, Zelda Windwalker is a great game, but lots of people (not including me, but this has no baring on why I like WoW) hated its cell shading.

DAOC? Very good game, but no personal character stablity (they change the rules 'nerf' to often and to hard)
EQ2? has EQ1s extreamly crummy track record, thats it (good graphics! not realy, faster exp then EQ1!and that means what exatly? nothing, it still takes your whole personal life to lvl up at a slow rate, we got rid of the user interface! um ok you got rid of an eye sore, but you didnt replace it with anything -.-; )
SWG? Too much space, no content, to many jedi wannabes
AC2? Pretty, but not much else (you didnt play this game, you exploited it)
SB? PvP and no other content just didnt hack it
FFXI? Sorry, but it felt like a little kids game (when compaired to other mmorpgs)
and the list could go on....

GuildWars? Like a complicated version of Dungen Siege played online, it was actualy alot of fun for the small amount of time I played it, wether it holds attention for the long haul is yet to be seen.

On a last note, I have played a lot of MMORPGS, I still play DAOC (I consider it the lesser of all evils). I liked WC3 because of its story line. I am NOT a big fan of stratagy games, so if that is keeping you from buying this title stop hesitating and go for it. And do remember, take everything any one says with a grain of salt.

Beta Tester (Phase 2)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 38 / 48
Date: June 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Okay, just a quick breakdown here. I have been playing WoW Beta since Blizzard released Phase 2 and I must say that I am incredibly impressed. This is my first MMORPG and it took no time to figure things out and get going in game. So far the updates have been slow but steadily making the game a lot better each phase. I really enjoy doing the quests that are in game, they give fat chunks of exp and usually, great items. The graphics are sharp and nice to look at, while presenting an overall dream-like fantasy world feel that works perfectly. None of us in game know much about special "world events" because i think that Blizzard is saving these for final development and release, but needless to say we are excited to experience them.

All in all, if you like to play games that are challenging yet open ended, this is for you! You can make your own way through the game and still have tons of fun in the process because it's really not about killing mass monsters, the quests do it better. I am definitely buying World of Warcraft upon it's release because Blizzard is doing an awesome job in all aspects.

WoW - Simply the best!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 34 / 49
Date: May 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

World of warcraft is Blizzards first MMORPG, this may make some people concerned. What do they know? Will it be any good? But the awnser has already ben found in the Betas! Beta testers say that WoW is better that any finished MMORPG game.

A little info:
You can play to either the Alliance wich includes the Humans, Gnomes, Dwarves and Night Elves or you can play to the Horde wich includes the Orcs, Trolls, Taurens and the Undead.

There are many different classes to pick from: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin(Alliance only), Priest, Rogue, Shaman(Horde only), Warlock and Warrior.

And when you get to level 40 you will become an Hero.

There are also "Trade skills" wich are Herbalism, Mining, Smelting, Lumberjack, Fishing, Herb Gathering, Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, cooking, Alchemy, Fletching/Bowmaking, Scribing, Gem cutting, Jewel crafting, Engineering, Tailoring,
And "other skills".
Linguistics (you will somewhat understand languages that you do not know exe. a human doesnt understand an orc), Mount riding (you can ride horses and such), First Aid, Lockpicking and Pickpocketing.

The game takes 5 out of 5 possible stars with no problems!
________________________________________

I like WoW because of the beutifull grapics, endeless fun with new races and classes and the exploring.
There is always a quest out there waiting for you.

A MUST BUY! =D

Best MMORPG Ever -- Buy NOW!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 33
Date: December 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

World of Warcraft is simply put, the best MMORPG ever created. Blizzard spent a good amount of time creating and testing this masterpiece, and it shows off. No matter what type of games you like to play, you'll like playing WoW. Even if your PC isn't blazing fast, you'll get perfect quality out of WoW. Everything in the game just feels right.

Let me split my review into sections;

GRAPHICS
--------

The graphics in WoW are a splendor to behold. The textures and geometry are excellent and really show how much detail Blizzard put into this game. The visuals aren't DOOM 3 or Half-Life 2 in extreme quality, but this is a MMO with quite a bit of people and low system requirements. The shadows, weather and particle effects, and 'bonus' graphical work (such as footprints in the snow, etc) are above average. With all the visual settings maxed out, along with my graphic card's hardware AA/AF maxed, the game does not stutter, even on my mid-range PC. I'm amazed I can have everything maxed, having my screen look gorgeous, and have perfect v-sync frame rates constantly.

SOUND/MUSIC
--------

Music in WoW is, of course, spectacular. Blizzard is known for having awesome scores that are dynamic and suiting. There's a ton of different scores that dynamically change depending on where you are and what's going on, and they're all near-godly and memorable. The sound design is also great: each individual sound effect and voice sounds like what it should. No complaints in the sound department.

SERVERS
--------

Blizzard has a good amount of servers setup. Quite a lot of them, in fact. Not only that, but there's specific servers for PvP, so you can be on one of those if you enjoy dueling. PvE servers can have PvP game play as well, but both parties need to agree beforehand. The servers are lightning fast and I've yet to have downtime.

COMMUNITY
--------

So far, I've experienced a nice community in-game. I've played three different races and the communities in each of them (almost each race has its own starting location in the world of the game) have been very nice, considerate, and helpful. Granted, not everyone acts as they should, but I've had an enjoyable time with the community so far.

INTERFACE
--------

I really can't think up a way Blizzard could improve WoW's interface. It's mildly complex and takes a bit to get used to, but once you get over those first minutes it feels like second nature. Chatting is simple and fun, with numerous functions. Everything about the game is clearly described, explained, labeled, and shown in the manual and in-game. There are also tips that help you with just about everything as you experience it the first time.

GAMEPLAY
--------

The most important part of a game and WoW does it great. There's so much to do in the GIGANTIC world that you won't want to stop. Just a few of the 'professions' you can do: cooking, fishing, mining, blacksmithing, first aid, and alchemy. Besides all those you can just do the 2000+ quests, level up your character, join groups, create or join a guild, and more. It really is like an online world, and it's addicting. The quests range from extremely simple to very advanced, with plenty to choose from. The races are distinct but balanced, and each one has its own feel and flavor. The classes are well balanced also (except for Warrior, which is pretty underpowered, but Blizzard has said they're already working on it for the next patch). There's enough classes and races to suit anyone's taste, and there's definitely enough so that you can have multiple, different characters without feeling bored. The pace of the game feels just right; not too fast, not too slow. Death isn't a huge hassle, quest rewards are actually rewarding, the races are cool and different, the classes are exciting and aren't disappointments or unbalanced, the game is as simple or nearly-overwhelmingly complex as YOU want it to be, Blizzard's support is fantastic, and there isn't a single feature left out of the game. In a word: perfection.

All in all, WoW is definitely one of the best gaming experiences I've had, and I haven't even come close to experiencing it all. If you like Blizzard's previous games, role-playing games, and/or other MMOs, you'll love WoW for sure. Even if you don't like those, there's still a very high chance of you falling in love with it, since it's just so damn fun to play.

The monthly fee is well worth the countless hours of bliss you'll receive, and they provide discounts when you pay in bulk, like 3-months and 6-months.

I recommend buying the strategy guide (more like strategy tome, it's over 400 pages!) if you're new to MMOs, since there's a lot to learn. The game's manual is thick too, and there's plenty of in-game and online resources available.

If you can find it, purchase the Collector's Edition since for $30 more you get quite a lot (the game on 4 CDs, the game on 1 DVD, the soundtrack, a large making-of book, an exclusive in-game 'pet,' and more).

World of Warcraft is a game I very highly recommend for everyone to buy and experience, even gamers who don't like online play.

GET WORLD OF WARCRAFT NOW!

WoW: Wow!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 31
Date: August 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

For those not educated in the way of Blizzard Games, World of Warcraft is their first MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). Based on the world emulated in Blizzard's popular best-selling game, Warcraft, this game is gigantic. In previous games by Blizzard, there have been about four to five servers, or realms, with hundreds of games made by players, each holding anywhere from two to eight players. However, World of Warcraft turns the tide and allows a few servers, each estimated to hold anywhere from 2000-2500 players at any given time. With this many players in a server, there has to be a lot of space to hold them. The world comprises of two huge continents, which are made up of the lands of Kalimdor, Lordaeron, Azeroth, and Khaz Modan. Each region also holds major and minor cities. For example, the human city, Stormwind, is huge. However, as Blizzard recently added the auction function to Stormwind, it has been getting a lot more traffic and has been known to be laggy when entering the city. There are also now eight playable races. You may start out as the Humans, Orcs, Undead, Night elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Trolls and Tauren. Each character you make is very customizable. You, of course, choose your name, and are then able to choose your gender, hair style, hair color, skin color, facial characteristics, and facial hair. On top of the amount of races, there are nine playable classes, each with unique skills and spells. However, some races will not be able to play certain classes. The nine classes are the holy and noble Paladin, the stealthy Rogue, the healing Priest, the taming Hunter, the dark magi Warlocks, the naturalist Druids, the Warrior, Mage, and Shaman (like the Paladin, but for the Horde.) Each race is either on the side of the Alliance, or the Horde. Humans, Gnomes, Dwarves, and Night Elves comprise of the Alliance, while the Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, and Undead make up the Horde. In the PvP (Player versus Player) server, these two teams can clash in skirmishes in different areas to sieze control over the area. However, where there are enemies, there are allies, and World of Warcraft is all about allying. Players can band together to defeat enemies, complete quests, gain experience, or just spend some quality time together.

Depending on what race you choose to be, you will start out in different areas. For example, Humans start out in Azeroth, Night Elves start out in a small island north of Kalimdor, and Tauren start out in central Kalimdor. Certain races will also be able to buy mounts at a higher level, further customized by what class they are. For example, Paladins get an armored stallion, and Orcs get a dire wolf.

This game also brings trade skills into play. Players can mine for minerals, skin animals for skins, etc., and use these skills to create equipment, making anybody who uses these skills a valued team member.

What makes this game fun for me is the amount of quests and the fact that new ones are being added with each patch. There are literally thousands. This is why the game can be fun even after you reach the maximum level. There are quests ranging from the easiest of tasks, such as locating the inn, to defeating enemies that take a group to beat and can take hours to complete. There are also many equipment items you can wear, much more than in previous games such as Diablo 2. There are also more slots to choose from. For example, you can wear a robe, cloak, shirt, boots, belt, gloves, bracers, head gear, and much more.

The game also features a familiar way of chatting. Hitting the enter button will bring up the box where you type in messages, which after entered will appear in the above chat log. By typing prefixes in your messages such as "/1" (eg: /1 hi) will send your message into a public channel. Channel 1 is usually the general chat for your region, 2 is the trade channel when you are in a major city, 3 and 4 are defense channels, and 5 is the raid channel to discuss attacks on the opposite faction. You can also /yell messages so that everybody in your region can hear them (/say will send a message to people within a small radius of you) or /whisper (/w for short) somebody for a private message. Channel messages come up in tan, says come up in white, yells are red, and whispers are purple. You can also use the /ignore feature to squelch certain players so that you do not have to hear their messages. Blizzard will also include their friends list so that you may keep track of your friends in the game. They show character names, their levels, location, and class.

World of Warcraft now also makes clans official (first seen in Warcraft 3). You are allowed to join a guild with hundreds of other players. You also can customize your guild's sigil by visiting an NPC labeled as the Clan Tabard (guild leaders only).

Also, what people must know is that there ARE bugs in the game. However, the game IS only in the beta phase. The bugs, of course, will be fixed by the final retail version. Blizzard will also patch over any new bugs frequently so that our gaming experience can be all the better.

In all honesty, I can only think of one bad thing to say about the game, which is hearing something about not adding mounted combat, which seems silly, as units in previous games that were mounted on horses could attack from them. Even the music is pretty good. Many people argue that they will not get the game because of the monthly fee. I also thought this way until I played the beta, and then I realized that twelve or thirteen dollars for this amount of fun per month is, in my opinion, a pretty good deal.

However, don't just take my word for it. Blizzard announced that they will soon be releasing an open beta to the public, allowing everybody who wishes to download it the opportunity to join the vast World of Warcraft.

World of warcraft, truly a fantastic game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 115
Date: August 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Im not playing the beta version unfortunetly :(... but i will help you make your decision in buying this with the information i have gathered... Basically you can be one of 8 unique races: Humans, Night Elves, Gnomes, and Dwarves are of the alliance, and Undead, Tauren, Orcs, and Trolls, are of the horde. There are many unique classes also such as mage, shaman, paladin, preist, hunter, warlock, and many more... But one of the most unique things about this game is the skill set... You can learn herblore, which is gathering of herbs, alchemy, using herbs to make potions, mining, mining ores and grinding stones, blacksmithing, using ores and stones and whatever other ingreedients you need to make weapons, armor, sheilds, etc... This game has also a huge world, with home cities and everything. For instance, the Undeads home city is called "The Undercity" and is located in central lorderon. One things for sure, this game is on top of my list, and there is so much more to learn that cannot be typed in this review. For more information go to WorldofWarcraft.com

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